Austrian playmaker for Victory

Austrian attacking midfielder Kristijan Dobras is the latest import to join Melbourne Victory, announced today on a one-year deal.

Croatian-born Dobras, 26, made his debut in the Austrian Regionalliga (third division) in 2010/11 for Rapid Wien II, making 53 appearances and scoring 11 goals before a call-up to Rapid Wein’s senior side in the Austrian Bundesliga.

The midfielder has since made over 130 appearances and scored 15 goals in the first and second divisions in Austria since 2012 for Rapid Wien, Grödig, Wiener Neustadt, Sturm Graz and most recently Rheindorf Altach.

Dobras is new coach Marco Kurz’s first midfield signing, and Kurz believes he will be invaluable to the club’s line-up this season.

“Kristijan is an exciting player who has developed a strong game in Austria,” said Kurz.

“We see a great opportunity for him to come to Victory and not only grow his game further, but also add a spark to our midfield, which we spoke about during our discussions with him.

“Thankfully these discussions with Kristijan proved very positive, and we’re lucky to have signed him for the season ahead.”